1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a searching system, a searching unit, a searching method, a displaying method for search results, a terminal unit, an inputting unit, and a record medium that allow information that was broadcast to be searched and properly obtained.
2. Description of the Related Art
A database system that allows data to be searched from a database stored in a computer system is known. The user obtains desired information directly from the database system or using a terminal unit connected thereto through a network. The user inputs a keyword that he thinks it is proper from the terminal unit. The database system searches the database corresponding to the input keyword and provides the user with the search results through the terminal unit. When the database system has provided the user with much information, the user can filter the information using another keyword.
Now, the case that the user searches music data from a database system will be considered. The user can know for example title information of a CD (Compact Disc) that contains his or her desired musical piece from the search results so as to purchase the CD. In this case, the music data is information about a musical piece as a unit of music. The music data is composed of for example a musical piece name, a performer name, an album name (namely, a music CD title), a released date, and a seller. The music data may contain audio data of a musical piece. In the database system, additional information that is for example a performer name, a title, an album name, and so forth is assigned as keywords of music data to each musical piece.
For example, when the user likes a musical piece that was broadcast from a radio broadcasting station, he or she searches the musical piece from such a music database. In this case, the user searches his or her favorite musical piece using keywords corresponding to additional information that was announced along with the musical piece.
In such a conventional music database system, unless the user inputs a proper keyword to the database system, he or she cannot obtain desired results. Thus, conventionally, when the user forgot additional information that was announced along with the musical piece, he or she cannot obtain desired information.
There is a situation that the user always carries a terminal unit that can search a musical piece from a music database and he or she searches a desired musical piece that was broadcast from a radio broadcasting station with the terminal unit. In this case, if the user likes a music that he listened to only a last part thereof, he or she cannot obtain the additional information of the musical piece. Thus, even if the user has such a terminal unit, he or she cannot know a keyword that he or she should input.
Thus, even if a contents provider who sells musical pieces and CDs provides listeners with a radio program, it does not directly contribute to sales of the musical pieces and CDs.
In the case of a digital broadcast, additional information may be superimposed to music data that is broadcast. Thus, the user can obtain additional information about a musical piece from digital data. However, in this case, the broadcasting station should create additional data for each musical piece to be broadcast and superimpose the additional data to the musical piece. Thus, the cost on the broadcasting station side increases. In addition, the user side should prepare a receiving unit that can extract additional information from digital data.